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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903508">Fishing Line</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bamboozledeagle/pseuds/bamboozledeagle'>bamboozledeagle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ducktales One-shots by Bamb [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family, Friends as Family, Hurt/Comfort, friends - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:01:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,275</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903508</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bamboozledeagle/pseuds/bamboozledeagle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Donald makes friends like he makes enemies: with his fists.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Donald Duck &amp; Goofy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ducktales One-shots by Bamb [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043262</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fishing Line</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Donald makes friends like he makes enemies: with his fists.</p><p>He hadn’t realized it at the time, but the moment his knuckles met Pete’s cheek he had a throbbing hand and a new best friend.</p><p>The thing is though, up until that point the only people Donald fought for were his family and he’s pretty sure Goofy isn’t family.</p><p>Goofy is an annoying kid who latched onto Donald after the second day of classes and never went away. He’s not smart like Della, his luck is worse than Gladstone’s, and his laugh isn’t as endearing as Fethry’s.</p><p>So why in the world did Donald punch Pete for saying exactly what Donald thinks?</p><p>“Donald! Why did you do that?” Goofy fretted. “That wasn’t nice!”</p><p>“I wasn’t nice?” Donald growled at him and pointed at the boy on the floor, “What about Pete!?”</p><p>“He didn’t mean it!” Goofy chided.</p><p>Lord, Goofy is worse than Fethry. (Too naive, too nice, too innocent.)</p><p>Donald scowls, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and storming away down the hall.</p><p>“Wait Donald!”</p><p>“Running away pipsqueak?”</p><p>Donald whirls around with a glare that’s stopped mummies in their tracks.</p><p>Goofy reaches his side the same time Pete gets back on his feet. The dumb bully is either too blind to notice the look on Donald’s face or too stupid to see it as the warning it is.</p><p>“Too cowardly to fight me? Or have you realized he ain’t worth the effort?” Pete jeers</p><p>“Donald, don’t.” Goofy pleads, putting himself between the two.</p><p>Donald’s eyes flare. Goofy is worse than Gladstone. (Too caring, too loyal, too worried.)</p><p>“Would'ja look at that. Goof’s too dumb to stay out of the way.”</p><p>Donald muscles past Goofy, but the boy is determined to stop him and latches onto Donald, digging his heels into the stained carpet.</p><p>“I’ll show you who’s dumb!” Donald rages.</p><p>Pete cackles and before Donald can hit him again, Goofy’s arm around Donald’s slows him down enough that Pete gets a jab at his stomach in.</p><p>The teacher finds them like that. Pete laughing through a bruised cheek, Donald unintelligibly cursing him despite hunching over from pain, and Goofy holding Donald with a pale face.</p><p>Pete gets suspended. Donald and Goofy get detention.</p><p>“He does it because he’s in pain.”</p><p>Donald looks up from his homework, stubbornly not talking to his detention companion. The teacher watching them went to the bathroom, confident in his experience with Donald and his family.</p><p>“So what? You just let him take it out on you?” Donald grunts. “Let him make your life miserable just so he can make sure he’s not alone?”</p><p>Goofy shrugs and stares down at his feet.</p><p>Donald’s heart burns. He’s worse than Della. (Too sympathetic, too determined to save people, too desperate for approval.)</p><p>“I’m…different.” Goofy mumbles. ‘Like you.’ He doesn’t say, as if Donald hasn’t noticed people making fun of Goofy’s laugh the same way they make fun of Donald’s voice. As if he hasn’t heard Goofy insist that he’s not dumb in the same trembling voice that Donald once did.</p><p>The difference is Donald can take it, can fight it, can get support from his friends.</p><p>Goofy, as far as Donald can tell, doesn’t have any of that.</p><p>Donald frowns and thinks about his cousins. He compares them to Goofy and realizes Goofy is different. He’s…well, he’s Goofy.</p><p>“Gladstone and I were going to go fishing later, but he’s probably left by now. Do you want to come instead?”</p><p>Goofy beams.</p><p>…</p><p>Mr. and Mrs. Goof practically adopt Donald the second he steps through their door. Donald wonders if they’re just that nice or if they’re just that desperate for their son to have a friend.</p><p>It doesn’t take long to realize it’s a bit of both.</p><p>Mr. Goof is a mean cook and always has something to give Donald to take home. Mrs. Goof shows him how to fix the plumbing when Grandma’s pipes burst. They tell him in no uncertain terms that he can come over whenever he pleases and he wonders, for the first time, if his parents would treat Goofy the same way.</p><p>He likes to think they would.</p><p>…</p><p>Scrooge makes it hard. Being gone over the summer is rough but frequent calls keep his friendship strong. Goofy doesn’t seem as bothered by the distance as Donald is. He makes a point to steal the phone from Della (Scrooge bought the twins a flip phone to stay in contact on adventures, but only one to share between the two of them) to call at least once a week.</p><p>Goofy’s parents nearly lose their minds when he comes back with a broken arm, raw and scarred knuckles, and a couple new scars.</p><p>They don’t get along with Scrooge - can’t imagine ever putting a child in such danger despite how dedicated Scrooge is to keeping them safe the entire time.</p><p>That’s fine with Donald, so long as he can stay Goofy’s friend.</p><p>…</p><p>He doesn’t realize that it’s not just Goofy that needs Donald, but Donald that needs Goofy too.</p><p>Goofy isn’t bound to him by blood. He doesn’t have to force himself to get along with Donald for the sake of Family. He’s friends with Donald because he wants to be. He takes the time to learn sign language because he wants to. (Donald doesn’t cry when he first see Goofy sign 'Good Morning’ at him. He doesn’t.)</p><p>Goofy is kind and a good friend and he’s <em>fun</em>.</p><p>Highjacking the principal’s presentation to impress a girl is insane and Donald still can’t believe it worked. He’s delighted to be Best Man at the wedding and named God Father of the little boy that comes later.</p><p>…</p><p>He’s there when Goofy’s parents pass and again when his wife follows four years later.</p><p>Max is put to bed and he holds his friend while he cries on the porch. Goofy is a sensitive soul and Donald does his best to help.</p><p>When Della vanishes, between the Goofy’s parents passing and his wife’s illenss, he doesn’t want to let him repay the favor. There’s nothing to repay and Donald just wants to wallow in self pity and lick his metaphorical wounds.</p><p>He doesn’t count on Goofy muscling past him and scooping up one triplet while handing another to his wife, leaving Donald to hold little Louie. For the first time in weeks, Donald sleeps longer than 3 hours at a time.</p><p>Max is used as a willing excuse to take a nap. 'He doesn’t like to sleep alone. You’ll have to let him sleep on your chest, Donald.’ Goofy says with a twinkle in his eye that Donald rarely sees. The one that says he’s up to some Mischief. Donald is too tired to pry into it.</p><p>Years pass and Max is his kids’ babysitter. The Goofs are a part of his family’s life almost more than their actual family is. Goofy is Uncle Goofy as much as Gladstone is Uncle Gladstone and Max is Cousin Max long before Fethry is Cousin Fethry.</p><p>They make a point to celebrate holdiays with them. There’s Grandma Duck’s Christmas parties and then there’s the Duck/Goof Christmas parties just as surely as there’s a Grandma Duck’s Thanksgiving Feast and a Duck/Goof Thanksgiving Feast.</p><p>That’s the way it goes for a long time.</p><p>…</p><p>And then Della is back and Donald is off the moon and suddenly Donald doesn’t know what’s going to happen anymore.</p><p>As if sensing this, Goofy shows up at the Mansion’s front door with an invitation to Max’s graduation party, a coupon for their favorite bar, and an invitation.</p><p>“You want to go fishing?”</p>
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